Grapa Global has hosted its second Arra Fire Crunch field day in Mildura, emphasising its ambition to expand its premium table grape varieties across Australia and Asia.
Held last month in Australia’s key table grape production region, the field day provided local growers and marketers an opportunity to see the table grape breeder’s early-mid red variety up close and taste its early white variety Arra Honey Pop.
This year’s event was also attended by a group of international buyers representing companies from various Asian countries.
The first Grapa Global table grapes were planted in Australia back in the early 2010s, but with the company’s latest varieties spiking a wave of interest, it’s on the precipice of a new stage of growth in Australia, one of Asia’s top suppliers.
Grapa’s Commercial director Nomi Karniel-Padan, said her father saw the potential for Grapa’s varieties in Australia when he first visited in the early 90s and now – with the support of Grapa Australia manager Stephan Nel – it was being realised.
“We have grown from two marketers in Australia in 2020 to 13 today. In Australia, vine orders have increased 325 per cent from 2023 to 2025 and planted area has increased four times,” said Karniel-Padan.
“Now is the right time, with the right varieties to penetrate both domestic and export markets. because we have varieties that are now most suitable. You need to have technical support on the ground, but you also need to connect the fruit to the right markets. I think what we are now offering is the full package from grower to market.”
Nel said the field day, and its associated events served as an opportunity to showcase that Arra Fire Crunch could deliver consistent quality year after year.
“Arra Fire Crunch is an exceptional variety due very much to its amazing crunch and we are excited to show that to all the companies that are looking to plant it in the future,” Nel said.
“Growers were able to see the good berry size, colour and crop load as well as the timing. In normal conditions, I see the variety as an Australia Day (26 January) variety. They were also able to see how well it handled the heat.
“With labour costs going up every year, growers need varieties that can deliver production and all three of our new varieties in Australia – Arra Honey Pop, Arra Fire Crunch and Arra Cherry Crush – have high fertility, resilience and cold storage capabilities.”
Grapa’s Asia market liaison lead Kevin Au Yeung, said the field day also provided a platform for buyers across Asia to become more acquainted with Grapa varieties as production out of Australia starts to accelerate.
“This trip was important because we brought in some strong players in the Asian market, and their feedback has been good, there is excitement for the red varieties – Arra Fire Crunch and Arra Cherry Crush – because they offer the right size, the right taste profile and unmatched crunch,” said Au Yeung.
“The buyers have been really positive and some are already planning orders to start trials in the Asia market.”
Head of brand marketing, Georgios Bitsakos said Grapa Global was committed to delivering benefits to everyone along the value chain with its varieties.
“We are focused on creating value throughout the supply chain, We are lucky that we have varieties that are productive and can drive costs down, but we are also working closely with the markets to generate value through to the final consumer by giving them a different experience that makes the grape category more attractive,” said Bitsakos.
It’s a message that Asian markets seem to be receptive to. Daniel Ho from Chinese importer-marketer Shanghai Topsun Fresh noted the important characteristics needed for a variety to stand out.
“In a market like China, different red grape lines – like Arra Fire Crunch and Arra Cherry Crush – are very interesting. From a marketer’s point of view, the crunchiness means a lot and they are crunchy and have good colour and green stems,” said Ho.
